America Turns 250!

 

 

Happy birthday to America!  I was 12 when we celebrated the Bicentennial and now here we are 50 years later.  I'm still proud to be an America.  I'm not proud of all that goes on here, but I love my country.  I read reports of anger and protests, but then I also read of hearts humbling and seeking God.   America, God shed His grace on thee.

America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine! 

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea! 

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

I Remember

 

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America.  "We will never forget" was the constant refrain.  A generation has been born since that day.  They have nothing to remember, only stories told them.  

 

 

I've written about 9/11 many times.  On the 10th anniversary I wrote this: "It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the terrorist attacks. Growing up, I remember hearing people say, "I remember exactly where I was when I heard that JFK was shot" and I didn't understand. Unfortunately, now I do. The flood of emotions will not be forgotten."

 

 

I was working at Amgen at the time and was on my way to work when I first heard the news. Both Towers had been hit, along with the Pentagon. What in the world was going on? What an eerie feeling, so sobering and frightening. I looked into the shocked faces of my co-workers and knew that's what I looked like as well. I don't remember getting any work done that day. Just staring at the images on my computer, reading over and over reports of the attacks.

 

 

We in California were blessed that none of the attacks occurred in our state, but the impact was still felt. As the day progressed, word spread that an Amgen Clinical Development team had been in Washington, D.C. The team was there for meetings with the FDA regarding approval for a new drug. Later in the day, team members checked in, reporting they were okay, but stranded in D.C. for the time being. They had been scheduled for a Tuesday afternoon flight. Then we got word that Dora Menchaca, the team leader, had changed her flight to Tuesday morning. She was on American flight 77 that flew into the Pentagon.

 

 

I remember the first time we flew after 9/11. We flew from the Burbank airport and I was a nervous wreck. The sight of guardsmen did not give me comfort, it just reminded me of all that was lost on the day.

 

While I remember, I also know where my hope is found.  Governments and armies can't give me hope or peace, but there is a Rock that I can stand on.  Psalm 18:2 says, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

 

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

D-Day Anniversary

Today is the 79th anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy.  

 

"On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops." (source)

 

We spent June 1st through June 3rd in the Normandy region.  We had a full day tour on June 2nd that included both Utah and Omaha beaches along with the American Cemetery. It was a cold, cloudy day and the wind had a bite to it.  Over and over I kept thinking about how it was a day much like that when those thousands of troops landed.  

 

 

There was nothing pleasant about that day, but they bravely moved in.  Parachuting, coming out of glider planes and Higgins boats.  Many were killed before they reached the shore. No sane person thinks starting a war is a good idea, but brave soldiers agree that finishing a war is the objective.  

 

 

One of our final stops last Thursday was the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, it contains the graves of 9,386 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.  Crosses, all facing towards America, are lined as far as the eye can see.  Les and I read some of the names and saw many that were only 18 or 19 years old. 

 

This video was taken at 5:00 p.m. when the American flag was taken down for the evening, with the haunting tones of "Taps" being played in the background.

I'll have lots more to say about this when I start writing about those days, but I couldn't let the anniversary of D-Day come without saying how thankful I am for our soldiers, both past and present.

Repost: Let Freedom Ring

I orginally posted this on July 4, 2011 and wrote:  I wonder how many of the verses to this song would be eliminated today because of so many references to God?  I'm so sad to say that our country has fallen much further away from God in the past eleven years.  But Pastor White reminded us yesterday, that 1 Samuel 12:23 says, "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."  We must keep praying for our country and our families.

AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.


My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.


Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.


Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.


Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!


Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.


Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!


Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

Never Forget

 

30 Days of Thanks, Day 11: Veterans

I'm changing my word for today.  The prompt was tallest, but I want to give thanks for our Veterans.

It is the VETERAN, 

not the preacher, 

who has given us freedom of religion. 

 

It is the VETERAN, 

not the reporter, 

who has given us freedom of the press.

 

It is the VETERAN, 

not the poet, 

who has given us freedom of speech.

  It is the VETERAN, 

not the campus organizer, 

who has given us freedom to assemble.

  It is the VETERAN, 

not the lawyer, 

who has given us the right to a fair trial. 

 

It is the VETERAN, 

not the politician, 

Who has given us the right to vote. 

 

It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag. 

 

It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag.

 

 

Pictured above are my Great Uncle Lewis Ganaway who served in WW II, my uncle Ron Fultz who served during peace time, and my father-in-law Bill McElhaney who also served during peace time. 

 

I'm thankful to them and all soldiers who have served and continue to serve for our freedom.

Friday Foodie ~ Fourth of July Goodness

I hope you all enjoyed celebrating yesterday.  Les and I certainly did!  We both went on bike rides (mine was significantly shorter) then enjoyed a relaxing day at home.  I was at home when the earthquake jolted Southern California.  We live about 100 miles from the epicenter.  I definitely felt it, water splashed around in our pool, but we didn't have any damage.

I decided earlier in the week that I was going to make some homemade ice cream.  Les requested coffee flavored.  I did a little research and found different ways to make it  Surprisingly, the recipes were split between using brewed coffee and instant.  A website called "I Need Coffee" (by Coffee Fans, for Coffee Fans) suggested using instant and I decided that was good enough for me! 

My recipe started with the Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream recipe that I made a couple years ago.  It was a huge hit.  This recipe came with my ice cream maker and at the bottom of the recipe it listed Coffee Ice Cream.  All I had to do was add instant coffee to the recipe I made before so that's what I did.

Coffee Ice Cream
Makes 4 Quarts
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons instant coffee (this was 8 single serve instant coffee packets)
5 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
4 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1.  Combine sugar, flour, salt and coffee in saucepan.

Gradually stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat approximately 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.

The coffee completely dissolved.  Side note: you can use decaf coffee if you don't want too much caffeine (or half of each.)  I asked Les about it and he said he wanted the full experience!

2.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of hot mixture into the beaten eggs.  This step is important to get right.  You want your eggs to be cooked but not scrambled!

Add egg mixture to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute; remove from heat.  Refrigerate 2 hours.

3.  Combine whipping cream and vanilla in large bowl; add chilled mixture, stirring with wire whisk to combine.  Pour into ice cream maker.

4.  Freeze as directed.  Mine churned for about 40 minutes.  Then it went into the freezer for a few hours to finish hardening.

As is typical with homemade ice cream it was a little soft, but OH MY!!!  it was so delicious!!!  We topped brownies with it but it is so good it really doesn't need anything with it.  The flavor is spot on for coffee ice cream.  If you love coffee and you love ice cream you really need to try this!

Do Something

It was a Tuesday morning, just like this morning.  I got in my car for the 30 minute drive to work and turned on the radio hoping to catch a traffic report.  What I heard instead struck terror.  Because of the three hour time difference, by the time I was tuning in both Twin Towers and the Pentagon had already been hit.  We would later learn that a co-worker was on the plane that hit the Pentagon.

The stories of heroism that came from that day are remarkable.  In spite of an enemy trying to tear us down, Americans rose up to fight.  First responders marched into those towers and headed up, while others were fleeing.

One of the most remarkable stories came from United Airlines flight 93.  It was the fourth plane that was hijacked.  This time the passengers had enough time to fight back.  Their attack caused the plane to go down in an empty field in Pennsylvania, 20 minutes flight time from Washington. The plane still went down and all onboard were killed, but those passengers kept it from hitting any national landmarks or buildings.

Tom Burnett was one of the passengers on flight 93.  He made four phone calls to his wife - you can read the full transcript here.  Three times Tom told his wife, "we have to do something."  The last part of their final conversation went like this:

Tom: Deena! If they’re going to crash this plane into the ground, we’re going to have do something!
Deena: What about the authorities?
Tom: We can’t wait for the authorities. I don’t know what they could do anyway.
It’s up to us. I think we can do it.
Deena: What do you want me to do?
Tom: Pray, Deena, just pray.
Deena: (after a long pause) I love you.
Tom: Don’t worry, we’re going to do something.
He hung up

There's an old story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

"Do Something" by Matthew West

I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now
Thought, how’d we ever get so far down
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”
He said, “I did, I created you”

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

I’m so tired of talking
About how we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”
Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire
I wanna be the one who stands up and says,
“I’m gonna do something”

We are the salt of the earth
We are a city on a hill (shine shine, shine shine)
But we’re never gonna change the world
By standing still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

We don't have to look far to see a need.  I know it can be scary to step out of our comfort zone to do something.  The outcome may not be what we hope for, but for today will you at least try to do something?

Kings of Judah and Israel

I am currently in the book of 2 Kings in my daily Bible reading.  It can be confusing reading about the different kings.  Some names are similar, while others are identical.  Reigns overlap.  Many kings are identified by their parents.  I found this chart to be helpful:

Over and over the Bible says, "he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord" and "followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin."  Of 42 kings, 11 were counted righteous over the course of 464 years.

We celebrated the birthday of our country this week.  242 years since we declared our independence.  I wonder what a chart of our presidents would look like.  Of 45 presidents, how many could be counted righteous?  There will never be a perfect ruler, but we need to pray for our divided nation.   No matter who rules, we as individuals still have the choice to do that which is right in the sight of God.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 4th of July Hawaiian Style